Robins: We’re just not fit for purpose
WITH just eight games remaining and 17 points adrift of survival, Coventry’s hopes of escaping relegation to the fourth tier drift further out of reach with every passing week they miss out on crucial points.
And Sky Blues boss Mark Robins, who has lost all three of his games in charge since taking over a little over a week ago, says he knows exactly what the problem is – and it’s on the pitch.
Stuart O’Keefe’s second goal of the season shortly after the break was all MK needed to secure a vital three points for their own survival hopes, as they opened up a six-point gap between themselves and the final relegation spot.
“For me it’s not very difficult to put my finger on it – we’re just not fit enough,” said Robins.
“We need to get some sort of identify and a way of playing. We’ll continue to work and I thought it was okay today. We are no way near fit enough and I know we’re not able to get around the pitch for 90 minutes.
“At times that costs us but we are where we are and that’s very sad. There is some decent talent here and we’ve done okay in patches of the game, but I know what the problem is – it’s lack of fitness.”
MK were first to record a shot on goal as centre-back George Williams burst forward from the halfway line before firing a low effort that fizzed goalwards.
The Dons made their slender superiority pay early in the second half as Cardiff loanee O’Keefe broke the deadlock with a superb half-volley from the edge of the Sky Blues penalty area which sailed past keeper Burge and into the top left corner.
Coventry threatened towards the end of the game as Ruben Lameiras forced MK goalkeeper David Martin into a smart save, but Robins’ men couldn’t prevent a fourth defeat in six games.
“At this stage of the season the pressure is just to get three points and not to lose the game,” said Dons boss Robbie Neilson.
“Coventry are having difficult times on and off the pitch at the moment and they made it really difficult for us.
“We had a few chances in the first half and I thought we dominated the game, but we didn’t have anything clear-cut and that’s when the tension started to build.
“Until you get that first or second goal you’re always going to be under a little bit of pressure because you’re playing against a team who have got nothing to lose.”